Recently in Cell Phones Category

Virgin Mobile seems to be rather active lately. Not only did they launch their Totally Unlimited plans and pay as you go options, but they also managed to buy Helio out. And they aren't stopping there. They have launched the Arc, a very affordable entry level cell phone.

UTStarcom's Arc will retail for $49.99. It doesn't offer that much besides actual phone calls and messaging. You will have Bluetooth, a VGA camera, speakerphones and 2 displays to play with. If you need a smartphone looking like that, you'd have to look elsewhere. This is just a fast phone ready to be used and dumped afterwards. It's a good pay as you go alternative if you have just lost your primary cell phone.

LG has released one of its high-end touchscreen handsets, the LG Secret will be known by their new names of LG SU600, LG KU6000 and LG LU6000. These phones will be rebranded and launched in South Korea. These were previously launched in Europe as LG KF750 and as LG KF755 in South America.

LG Secret is a sleek, slim and stylish slider phone that has dimensions of only 102.8 x 50.8 x 11.8 millimeters and has a weight of 116 grams. The handset is made out of unique materials like tempered glass and carbon fiber. One of the strongest points of LG Secret is probably its strong camera, which is 5 Megapixels letting you click photos of maximum resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels, auto focus, flash, face detection and video recording.

All the other features are great in this phone, such as its 2.4 inch TFT touchscreen display with 262K colors and its QVGA resolution (240 x 320 pixels), an intuitive Touch Media user interface, 3G connectivity for data transfer speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps.

It also has a music and video player with the popular formats supported, a TV out, FM radio with RDS, pre-installed Google applications, full HTML browser, email, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0, document viewer, 100MB of internal memory and microSD card support for up to 4GB.

via: lg

You know it and I know it. The LG Dare isn't the iPhone contender the Instinct is. No matter how good it looks it can't be compared to them. Not to mention the HTC Touch Diamond. Apparently LG also knows this and they are going to do something about it.

According to rumors, LG is working on a new touch screen phone, the KC910 which should blow away the competition when it will be released. It's rumored this LG will feature an 8 megapixels camera with Xenon flash, image stabilization and automatic face detection. It will also record video in widescreen 720x480 resolution. The display itself should have a resolution of 800x480. And as for size it will be about 0.55 inch thick. Curios for more? So am I, but that's about all we know so far.

Who's going to release it? Verizon? How much will it cost? A lot? When will it be released?

From what we know so far, the Samsung Instinct that hit the stores two weeks ago had tremendous success and got sold almost immediately. For Sprint the Instinct is a huge success. There were reported shortages of the instinct in some locations. The Instinct just became the fastest selling EVDO device in Sprint's history. We don't have any numbers to back that up yet but they should emerge at some point.

And now you can even win some prizes with your Samsung Instinct. The first 1000 videos to be accepted and posted to YouTube will get $20 each while one big winner will be drawn, and a lucky video will win $10,000. You should be making a home "Sell Out" video and just upload it to YouTube. The contest ends on August 1st so you better hurry. For more information check out Sprint's official site and Instinct site. And good luck to all contestants!

http://www.instinctthephone.com/

Check out this cool new headphone from Sony. It's probably built specifically for Sony Ericsson walkman phones for an even greater music experience, but I think it can be used with any device that is compatible with it. You can clip the pendant to your shirt and don whatever headphones suit you best. It has a 3.5 mm input jack that allows you to connect it to you favorite portable music device.

As mentioned, the headphone is built for Sony Ericsson phones. I guess that is why the headphone has a feature that automatically mutes your music when a call comes in, and resumes when you end the call - and you don't even have to touch your phone.

clip the pendant to your shirt and don whatever headphones suit you best. A 3.5 mm input jack allows you to swap them to listen to your music your way.Play the music in your phone through the high-quality stereo headphones of the DS205 without any physical connection between the phone and your ears.

Features:

* Bluetooth technology - 2.0
* Ear hook
* Fast port connector
* Auto pairing

Specification:

* Dimension: Size 13 x 65 mm
* Weight: 13g
* Colour: Dark Grey

via: sonyericsson

Sony Ericsson has released a new clamshell handset, the Sony Ericsson SO706i, which will be available from NTT DoCoMo. Well, since Sony is from Japan, its no wonder they are releasing another great phone for the Japanese market. I guess we'll have to wait for a little while until this phone comes out in the western market.

As mentioned, the SO706i is a clamshell phone and features a 2.8 inch with 262K colors and a 240x427 pixel resolution internal TFT display and external LEDs for incoming calls, 2MP camera with Auto Focus and video recording, memory expansion of MicroSD memory format, which is able to accept microSD cards up to 2GB, Mobile TV, advanced e-mail and web capabilities, supports Flash Lite 3.0, Google Maps and integrates Google search.

The dimensions of the handset is 105x49x13.4mm and the phone weighs 98 grams. The device is able to work up to 3.6 hours in talk-time mode, up to 290 hours in standby mode and up to 1.67 hours in TV viewing mode.

SO706i will be out in Japanese NTT DoCoMo shops on July 4, retailing at about 40,000 Japanese yen - equivalent to about $380 or 240 Euros.

via: sonyericsson

Here's another phone spotted at the FCC, the Sony Ericsson TM506. Sony Ericsson went wild this week. We've seen more than a few cell phone releases as well as cell phone accessories like Bluetooth headsets and headphones. If the previous handsets were entry level to mid range, the TM506 seems to be better than that.

Here's some of the features of the TM506:

• 3G,


• Bluetooth,


• aGPS,


• memory card slot


• camera of unknown quality,


• Web browser, Web feed, Instant Messaging,


• Picture and video blogging,


• Music and Video players, MusicDJ,


• USB,


• Voice command,


• embedded games, file manager, organizer, calendar


• TV access and streaming videos


• dual-band GSM/EDGE 850/1900.


• WCDMA 1700/2100.

via USEB

It's a Sony day today here at Mobilewhack.com so here's the next mobile device we're going to introduce. Sony Ericsson K330 is yet another entry level phone. It doesn't have all those feature to brag but it's more than just a dependable phone.

Let's look at some specs:

• Screen: 65,536 color TFT, 128x160 pixel


• Memory: Phone memory 10MB


• Networks: 850/900/1800/1900


• Colours: Gold on Black and Green on Black


• Dimensions: 100.0 x 45.0 x 12.0 mm


• Weight: 75.0 gr


• VGA Camera


• Bluetooth


• Battery Life: talk time 7 hours, standby time 300 hours.

If you are interested in the K330 from Sony Ericsson, just go your location on their site and look it up for more details.

After releasing so many new mid ranged and entry level phones yesterday, Sony Ericsson went ahead and announced three Bluetooth Headsets too, the HBH-PV-715, 720 and 740.

The HBH-PV-715 is a practical and stylish headset. Here's some highlights:
• Good value for money
• 11 h talk time/ 800h stand by so it is ready to use at any time
• Removable ear hook
• Auto-pairing for easy set-up
• DSP and automatic volume adjustment for clear sound in every environment
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR for a stable and reliable connection
• Available in either black or white

The HBH-PV-720 is elegant and more sophisticated. It offers:
• 11 h talk time and 800 h stand by
• 3 elegant Style-up™ covers with black and silver patterns
• Autopairing
• DSP and automatic volume adjustment
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR for a clear sound and reliable connection in every environment
• Removable ear hooks
• Black necklace

HBH-PV-740 is more business oriented and it will deliver exactly that:
• 11 h talk time/800 h stand by
• Convenient sliver necklace carrying solution
• Headset desk stand and USB charger
• Status display for battery and connection indication
• Removable ear-hooks
• Autopairing for easy set-up
• DSP and automatic volume adjustment
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR for a stable and reliable connection

We don't know prices yet but the HBH-PV-720 will all be available in Q3 2008 while the HBH-PV 715 and HBH-PV-740 will be available in Q4 2008.

via SonyEricsson

Toshiba's Sportio, a handset that features an acceleration sensor and GPS, keeps track of how many steps you take, how far you have gone, and how many calories you used up in its Calorie Counter mode.

Place it in Beat Run mode and you can compose music by jogging to special tracks. The phone features a 2.2-inch TFT (240 x 320), a 2 Megapixel camera, and a 1 Seg Tuner. Available in orange or red, the Sportio is also Bluetooth capable so you can take it with you wherever you go.

via: Toshiba

With its slide-out QWERTY keypad and the flashily stylish red attire aside, the LG KS360 is pretty much any other 2.5G cell phone that is available in the market now. The horizontal 2.4-inch display has a resolution of 240x320 pixels and there's a 2-megapixel on the back for your casual photography needs. The KS360 is designed to work with triband GSM topping out with GPRS/EDGE connectivity. LG has also thrown in a music player and an FM radio to go with the snazzy color, so this might be a good option for your musically inclined nephew or niece. USB 2.0 support along with Bluetooth round its connectivity options. There is no word on pricing or availability but we could be looking at an Asian release pretty soon.

Via

Sony MDR-AS20J Headphones

Sony Korea has recently rolled out 5 all new headphones in its AS Series. The models known as MDR-AS100W, MDR-AS50G, MDR-AS40G, MDR-AS30G and MDR-AS20J are trendy in look. The latest collection empowers you with mobility. Wear them in style and make your friends envy.

Sony MDR-AS30G Headphones

These are primarily designed for sports and fitness geeks. These active headphones perfectly fit in your ears. This outdoor headphone collection is water resistant. The MDR-AS100W can also be used with MP3 players.

Sony MDR-AS30G Headphones

The MDR-AS50G is behind the Neck Earbud Headphone, while the MDR-AS40EX features Over the Ear Earbud style. The MDR-AS30G around the Neck Headphones comes equipped with stability tip.

Via: Press

Remember how a while ago I was comparing the Instinct from Samsung and the iPhone from Apple? Remember how I said that despite the fact the Instinct might be better than the iPhone, the iPhone 2 will kick Instinct's ass? Boy was I wrong! I was expecting a lot more changes from Apple, and apparently I need to wait for a iPhone 3 one more year or so.

Soon after the WWDC we also found out that Samsung via Sprint is going to match the price of the iPhone 2. For a two-year contract you would get the Sprint Instinct for $199.99. How cool was that? Well imagine my surprise to find out Sprint is feeling rather generous and it's going to take $70 more off.

Here's how it works. The Instinct is going to be released on June 20th for the price of $129.99 with a two year contract and after $100 mail in rebate. This price will feet most people. But let's go on. The plans vary as far as pricing goes and unlimited data plans are recommended for taking full advantage of Instinct and its capabilities. Should you choose the Everything plan for individuals you will be starting at $69.99 per month for 450 voice minutes. Should you choose the Talk/Message/Data Share plans for families you are looking at $129.99 per month for 1500 voice minutes shared between two lines. Sprint's Simply Everything Plan which offers unlimited nationwide voice and data services for just $99.99 per month seems the way to go. With this last one you will get lots of things including GPS navigation, email, web surfing, Sprint Music Premier and Sprint TV Premier.

Need I say more? The Instinct will be available in Sprint stores directly or via online or telesales order. And from June 20th to August 28th Best Buy will be Sprint's exclusive Instinct partner.

via Sprint

Just yesterday we were talking about the possibility of the 3G iPhone to officially arrive in Russia and today we've learned that Apple is planning to have iPhones in Chine too. I guess Apple is going for China in order to get some people to use their handwriting recognition software already!

China Unicom are rumored to be the ones to deliver the 3G iPhone on Chinese soil some time in August. With no official word on that we are to wait and see what happens. China is a large market, but the iPhone might just be too expensive for the average Chinese. There's of course no word on pricing or eventual plans either.

After releasing so many new mid ranged and entry level phones yesterday, Sony Ericsson went ahead and announced three Bluetooth Headsets too, the HBH-PV-715, 720 and 740.

The HBH-PV-715 is a practical and stylish headset. Here's some highlights:
• Good value for money
• 11 h talk time/ 800h stand by so it is ready to use at any time
• Removable ear hook
• Auto-pairing for easy set-up
• DSP and automatic volume adjustment for clear sound in every environment
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR for a stable and reliable connection
• Available in either black or white

The HBH-PV-720 is elegant and more sophisticated. It offers:
• 11 h talk time and 800 h stand by
• 3 elegant Style-up™ covers with black and silver patterns
• Autopairing
• DSP and automatic volume adjustment
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR for a clear sound and reliable connection in every environment
• Removable ear hooks
• Black necklace

HBH-PV-740 is more business oriented and it will deliver exactly that:
• 11 h talk time/800 h stand by
• Convenient sliver necklace carrying solution
• Headset desk stand and USB charger
• Status display for battery and connection indication
• Removable ear-hooks
• Autopairing for easy set-up
• DSP and automatic volume adjustment
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR for a stable and reliable connection

We don't know prices yet but the HBH-PV-720 will all be available in Q3 2008 while the HBH-PV 715 and HBH-PV-740 will be available in Q4 2008.

via SonyEricsson

Here's a more simpler handset from Sony Ericsson, the entry level J132. Like many other Sony Ericsson phones, the J132 has one other main job besides phone call making and that is delivering good quality FM radio.

The J132 has limited capabilities but nonetheless is a dependable phone. And here's what's been built inside that Night Black or Heaven Blue case:

• Screen: 65,536 color CSTN; 128x160 pixel


• Memory: phone memory 4MB


• Networks:GSM 900/1800


• Dimensions: 103.0 x 45.0 x 15.0 mm


• Weight: 76.0 gr

Who needs an iPhone after all? For availability and pricing check your local Sony Ericsson site.

It's Tuesday, June 17th. Sony Ericsson lovers have been waiting for this day to see the release of the new cell phone, dedicated to gamers, the F305. With it's innovative design which permits horizontal gaming, with dedicated control buttons and built in accelerometer, the F305 promises a lot of gaming. And it's not a bad phone either.

Sven Totté, Head of Product Marketing at Sony Ericsson says:

Gaming is no longer something you do on your own. It's about having fun with your friends and interacting with the game. We have used motion sensor technology before in our phones and integrating it into gameplay is a natural progression.

• Motion Gaming with three preloaded motion games, "Bowling", "Bass fishing" and "Jockey" - encounter gaming in a completely new way
• Additional motion games developed by Gameloft™ plus 50 more 2D and 3D games available for download at PlayNow.
• Loud stereo speakers- enhance your gaming experience or share the latest music with friends
• Horizontal game play and dedicated gaming keys - play games the way you want
• 2.0 megapixel camera and Bluetooth™ - a complete media experience
• Expandable memory - Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) slot.

How's that for a powerful gaming console? Curios about the actual phone capabilities?

The F305 is a quad-band EDGE phone supporting 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 frequency bands. It has a 2 megapixels camera and a 2 inch 176 x 220 TFT display. It offers USB and Bluetooth connectivity and it has WAP 2.0 xHTML internet connectivity. It has a 10MB internal memory with Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) support for further upgrades.

The F305 will be available in two colors, Polar White and Mystic Black and it will hit selected markets from Q3 2008. No price has been disclosed so far.

Here are some accessories you might be interested in:

• Power Pack CPP-100 which brings a boost to your battery


• Design Collection IDC-21 for more protection to your phone


• Stereo Bluetooth™ Headset HBH-DS220 helps you enjoy wireless music without missing a call.


• M2 USB Adapter CCR-70 will let you transfer, store and share the content of your Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™)

What more do you need to know to buy this mini gaming Sony Ericsson console? I'd like to see how some games will look like sure, but other than that I'd be interested in getting my hands on one.

Sony Ericsson has finally made it official! The 8.1-megapixel shooter in the CyberShot lineup will see a release somewhere in the fourth quarter of this year as will the S302 in the Snapshot series, who decided to go public with the C905. Unlike the C905, the S302 will feature only a 2-megapixel camera, more suitable for the casual photographer than a pro. The little one will also have Bluetooth, USB support, 20MB of internal memory with Memory Stick Micro expansion. While the S302 decides to stick to just Crystal Blue and Thunder Gray, the C905 will come in colors of Night Black, Ice Silver, and Copper Gold.

There are no details on the pricing yet, but at the rate at which the C905 turned from a rumor to reality, I don't think we'll have to wait too long.

Samsung has released two new eco-friendly phones during the World IT Show in Korea, the W510 and the F268. The SCH-W510 is called the Bio Cover Phone as it uses bioplastic material made from cornstarch and is manufactured using an environmentally-friendly metal finishing process while the SGH-F268 has no brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that can be harmful to people and will be offered with eco-friendly accessories such as a headset and a charger.

Unlike most of the phones on the market, the W510 does not contain elements like Mercury, Lead or Cadmium. The features of W510 were not unveiled yet, but we can see a photo camera with flash, a pretty wide display and mobile TV capabilities, hence it's most probably a mid-end device.

Samsung F268 comes with a special alarm that allows users to know exactly when the battery of the phone is fully charged and can be plugged out. In terms of features, the new F268 is a tri-band GSM handset with a 2.1 inch TFT display (262K colors and 240 x 320 pixels), a 2 Megapixel camera with video, Media player (supporting MP3, AAC, WMA, MPEG4 and 3GP), FM radio, Bluetooth 2.0, WAP browser, USB and microSD card support.

The W510 is expected to be available in the end of this month and the F268 will see a launch in China this month - no word on a UK launch just yet.

We were a tad disappointed by the 3G iPhone announcement, because we were expecting a whole lot more of features and upgrades and all we got was 3G and A-GPS. And we got lots and lots of applications. I do admit that most of those applications do come in handy but we were not expecting Steve Jobs' keynote to be that boring.

A day after we heard that TomTom had in the works a navigation software for the new 3G/GPS iPhone. That sounded almost too good to be true and by the following day gadget blogs were filled with news that a TomTom app won't come to the iPhone soon, due to Apple's strict SDK agreement points.

Apparently TomTom representative Yann Lafargue cleared the air. He admitted there is a working software for the iPhone but he added he isn't sure of what the future of a TomTom - Apple relationship will be. Since when did Apple start to go all Microsoft-monopoly-like on their goods? Are they cooking their personal navigation software?

via Engadget

A guy shooting his gun at this Motorola i335 wasn't portrayed in this video. Other than that, this slick Motorola phone seems to take everything on. And they say it will surely survive any kind of mistreatment. If you need a phone that can take a punch (wonder what your day job is) then maybe you should buy one of these, later this year when the i335 is supposed to hit the market.

This phone was designed for the Nextel/Boost iDEN network and for what it will lack in features it will make up in strength and design. We don't have a price yet. The i335 has a VGA camera, updated Bluetooth, and improved music capabilities. Other than that there's a case, a keypad, a battery, a SIM card, and everything else that's supposed to help you make calls.

Those guys over at Megawhat.tv had a chance to lay their grubby paws on Samsung's newest touchscreen toy, the Omnia aka i900 and man is that a monster, and that goes for its size as well as its features. As we already told you, this sleek touchscreen device has a huge 3.2-inch WQVGA touchscreen display to see some of Samsung's TouchWiz technology in full glory running on some WM 6.1 Pro sweetness and a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash. It's connections galore when it comes to Omnia with GSM 850/900/1800/1900 network support, HSDPA at 7.2Mbps, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and TV-out. The i900 will be available in two variations of 8 and 16GB but if that doesn't suffice you, the microSD slot can fill that void for you. Ah, now that's you'll get when you combine a N95 and Xperia X1. The i900 will hit the stores this August, so not a long wait!

While we're still waiting for Heath Ledger's last movie, the Dark Night, Verizon Wireless has prepared a mid-range phone surprise, the Dark Knight Edition of the Nokia 6205. This flip phone will arrive on June 15th in the US. As the Dark Knight it will be black with a Batman like logo on it.

The 6205 is a mid-range but it still has to offer quite a lot:

• 1.3 megapixel camera with flash and 4x digital zoom,


• 58 MB internal memory expandable up to 4 GB via microSD memory card,


• Get It Now® for downloading games, ringtones, wallpapers,


• VZ NavigatorSM,


• Mobile Web,


• Voice dialing and voice commands,


• Built-in speakerphone,


• Bluetooth-enabled for Wireless Headset Support,


• Verizon Wireless' V CAST Music service,


• two-inch display that supports up to 262,000 colors.

via Nokia

Tell me you didn't see this coming. Sprint has prepared entirely new plans for their Samsung Instinct release. That was bound to happen once Apple announced they will sell the 3G iPhone for $199 and $299 with AT&T 2 year plans.

The Samsung Instinct was initially priced at $449.99, which is a more than fair price for what it has to offer. Sprint just sliced off $150 for a 2 year plan and a added a further $100 mail in rebate. And on top of that, Sprint will also be offering the for the full price to all customers who don't want to get burdened with another 2 year plan. Is it cool or what.

I'd assume that if the Instinct had the same continuous and aggressive campaign the iPhone had, they would have a better fighting chance. About two weeks ago, when Spring presented the Instinct saying it was much better than the iPhone, I was arguing that although it seems better than the iPhone, it probably won't match the 3G iPhone. But since the iPhone brought us only 3G and GPS, which is far less than the most of were expecting, I tend to rethink my Instinct vs iPhone comparison.

I'll be curios how these devices will sell but inevitably Apple's name will defeat Samsung. And the Thunder from RIM isn't even out yet!

via press

Samsung has recently unveiled the new SCH M470 slider handset. This model is compatible with the HSUPA technology. It is for the first time that Company has experimented with a HSUPA capable smartphone. Evidently, HSUPA is a better version of the conventional WDCMA technology.

Now, let us have a look at its remarkable features.

• 2 Megapixel Camera
• Video Telephony
• Bluetooth enabled
• Push e-mail
• Web Access

As for now, the device is available only in South Korea at a price of 600,000 Won.